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Telecommunications
Arizona
Broadband
Federal Broadband Grant Program
The U.S. Congress has appropriated $7.2 billion to develop broadband in
the U.S. for unserved and underserved areas.
Broadband grants are being awarded by two federal agencies: The U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services (RUS) Broadband
Initiatives Program (BIP) ($2.5 billion); and the NTIA Broadband
Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) ($4.7 billion).
This funding includes grants for broadband infrastructure, computer
centers, sustainable projects that promote broadband use; and grants to
the states for broadband planning and for mapping broadband in their
respective states to use in the creation a national broadband map.
GITA Receives Broadband Mapping and Planning Federal Grant
Arizona has received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of
Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
The funding comes in two grants which will be managed by Arizona's
Government Information Technology Agency (GITA).
The first grant is for approximately $1.8 million over a two-year period
for broadband data collection and mapping activities. The second grant
is for approximately $500,000 over a three-year period for the purpose
of broadband planning and determining future broadband needs.
The broadband mapping project will collect and verify the availability,
speed and location of broadband across Arizona. This information will be
publicly available; updated on a semi-annual basis through 2011.
Citizens, local governments, and related research organizations will
enjoy a direct benefit from access to this new and additional
information.
GITA Receive Supplemental Broadband Mapping and Planning Grant
The
state of Arizona has been awarded an additional $4.064 million by the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in
order to map and plan expansion of broadband access.
The
previous $2.3 million NTIA grant funded broadband mapping of the state
for two years and broadband planning for three years. Now both projects
will be funded for five years each, with the additional funding from
this award. Approximately $2.189 million of this additional federal
funding will go towards broadband mapping; and approximately $1.875
million of federal grant dollars will go towards broadband planning,
utilizing data from the from the mapping project to help promote and
expand broadband in the state. This grant will be managed by GITA.
This
additional federal grant funding will ultimately provide for longer
term broadband planning for the state of Arizona. This information will
be publicly available; and updated on a semi-annual basis through 2015.
The broadband planning aspect of this grant will assist local
communities, especially in rural areas, in meeting their broadband
needs.
First Round Arizona Broadband Grants Being Awarded
The first round of grant funding announcements are in progress and
expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2010.
A grant for the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
Division for $1.3 million was awarded and will provide more than 1,000
computers to 84 libraries throughout the state of Arizona. This grant
allows Arizona's libraries to extend their reach to more than 450,000
previously underserved citizens of Arizona.
The Tohono O'odham Utility Authority (TOUA) has been selected to receive a
$3.6 million loan and a $3.6 million grant to design, engineer and
construct a digital network to replace dial-up service. This project
will provide services throughout the Tohono O'odham Reservation using
Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and fixed wireless broadband.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has been awarded an
approximately $32.2 million federal grant through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA)
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This grant along with
partial matching funds, will provide middle mile and last mile broadband
infrastructure access to the Navajo Nation.
The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has been awarded a federal
grant through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) that
will provide a total of 75 computers to three community centers in
Phoenix, Arizona. This a multi-state grant award with approximately
$500,000 going to Arizona for this project. Chicanos por la Causa will
implement this portion of the grant in Arizona for MEDA.
The locations of the three centers are:
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Carl Hayden Community Center (25 computers) located at 3216 East Van
Buren;
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Chicanos por la Causa Commerce Plaza Community Center (30 computers)
located at 1008 East Buckeye Road, and
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Chicanos por la Causa Workforce Development Center (20 computers)
located at 3150 North 35th Avenue.
This project
is designed to address Latino unemployment through microenterprise
development leading to job creation. The use of these computers will be
multi-functional. Entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses will be
provided with the information, advice and technological access to the
internet to start their enterprises.
Second Round Arizona Broadband Grants Being Awarded
The
State of Arizona has been awarded a $1,646,936 grant from the U.S.
Department of Commerce to fund 200 Virtual Workforce Workstations and
28 Arizona Job Help Hubs for education and career training in public
library locations throughout the state.
The San
Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc. (SCATUI) has been
awarded a $10.5 million grant/loan that will provide
fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) service to the San Carlos Apache
Reservation in Arizona. Over 6,000 people, 20 businesses, and 50
community institutions including emergency service personnel, a
hospital and facilities that are currently unserved stand to benefit.
Hopi
Telecommunications Inc. (HTI) has been awarded a $3.6 million
grant/loan that will connect Jeddito, Arizona with existing broadband
infrastructure more than 60 miles away. In addition, HTI will connect
currently unserved residents of Jeddito and Spider Mound. Over 7,000
individuals stand to benefit, as do dozens of businesses and more than
20 community institutions.
The
Arizona Telephone Company has been awarded a $4 million USDA grant to
fund broadband expansion projects in three rural areas of Arizona.
These areas include: The greater town of Sasabe area on the border, the
area between I-10 and I-8 west of Phoenix and east of the Kofa Mountain
Range; and the greater Mormon Lake area southeast of Flagstaff towards
Payson. This grant funding will bring high-speed DSL broadband service
to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is
comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas.
This project stands to benefit approximately 1,325 people, and 54
businesses and estimates that this project will directly create more
than 100 jobs upfront and help drive economic development in these
communities.
The
Tohono O’Odham Utility Authority has been awarded a second round USDA
broadband grant for $10,307,000 that serves as a last mile
infrastructure project that compliments the tribe’s first round USDA
middle mile infrastructure grant award of $3,565,900 in grant money and
$3,565,900 in loan funds. This project stands to benefit approximately
6,500 people, 1,300 businesses, and 60 other community institutions.
GovNET,
Inc. has been awarded a $39.3 million grant, with an additional $12.7
million in matching contributions, will allow GovNET to offer
affordable middle-mile broadband service in Arizona. The project plans
to improve broadband access for as many as 280 community institutions,
with a focus on improving public safety, healthcare delivery, and other
critical government services.
The
Havasupai Reservation and two scientific research facilities will
benefit from a $2.2 million USDA Rural Utility Services (RUS) grant to
J.C. Cullen, Inc., to implement the Northern Arizona Data Internet
Network Extension (NADINE) to provide 300 Mbps of capacity to rural
areas on the reservation that will benefit some 5,825 people, 8
businesses and 20 community institutions. The company estimates 22 jobs
will be created.
Midvale
Telephone Exchange is the recipient of a $1,116,412 USDA Rural Utility
Services (RUS) grant to provide broadband service at speeds of at least
20 Mbps in the Prescott Prairie, Mingus Meadows and Mingus Mountains
areas of Henderson Valley. Approximately 293 people and 981 businesses
will benefit.
Midvale
Telephone Exchange is also the recipient of a $2,146,814 USDA Rural
Utility Services (RUS) grant to provide broadband services with a
minimum of 20 Mbps in rural areas of Young that will benefit
approximately 490 people, 14 businesses and 1 anchor institution.
Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee
Governors have been asked by the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program (BTOP) to provide advice and suggested priorities for broadband
grant applications in their respective state. Approximately 107 grant
requests were received for Arizona in the first round of funding.
In response, the Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee (ABAC) was formed
to provide expertise and advice to the Governor's office on broadband
grant applications. ABAC consists of a representative from ten different
state agencies with the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA)
serving as the lead agency and its Director and State CIO Chad
Kirkpatrick serving as chairman.
Governor Jan Brewer considered the information and advice of ABAC before
forwarding her final recommendations to the U.S. Department of
Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
For further information see:
www.broadbandusa.gov.
Telecommunications Leadership
GITA provides strategic oversight and leadership to develop advanced
telecommunications (Broadband) service and infrastructure throughout
Arizona. Major goals of the telecommunications program include:
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Establish and coordinate statewide telecommunications policy.
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Bring together public and private entities to address shared
telecommunications interests.
Assist the planning for public and private telecommunications
systems.
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Study, evaluate and advise state agencies, the legislature,
institutions of higher education, tribes and local governments on
matters of telecommunications policy, including services and
systems, and telecommunications procurement practices.
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Coordinate telecommunications grant requests to the federal
government.
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Participate in national discussions about telecommunications
infrastructure and issues and coordinate public and private sector
conversations and plans concerning innovative telecommunications
projects, programs and demonstrations.
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Advocate economic development issues relating to telecommunications.
Rural broadband
development
GITA has been involved in several initiatives to encourage the development
of telecommunication infrastructure in rural areas of the State. In
these partnerships, GITA utilizes the award winning Telecommunication
Open Partnership of Arizona (TOPAZ) to guide agency interactions in
telecommunication projects throughout the State. TOPAZ encourages State
and local government organizations to actively partner with, and be the
anchor tenant for, private sector broadband infrastructure build-out
projects.
Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee (CIAC)
GITA provides staffing support and strategic direction to the Arizona
Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee. This Public/Private
committee is part of the Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology
(GCIT). The CIAC focuses on the issues related to the ubiquitous
deployment of Broadband capability to all of Arizona. Key issues include
Middle Mile, Last Mile, Right-of-Way and definition funding solutions.
Current efforts are concentrated on Rural Arizona along with other
deficit areas in both Urban and Rural settings.
Arizona GIS Broadband Survey
GITA’s intent for this
Broadband Assessment Geographic Information System (GIS) Study -
completed January 2009, is as a Phase1 step toward a full GIS Survey of
Arizona’s broadband infrastructure. A completed Survey will provide
Arizona’s decision makers details about Broadband capacities and
deficits areas across Arizona’s landscape, leading to better decisions
about broadband deployment, economic development, the digital delivery
of education, health care and government services, statewide.
In the Information Age, knowing the availability or deficits of
Broadband infrastructure in a particular area is critical for decisions
about quality of life for that area. We believe the Study to be the most
current view of what is happening nationally regarding implementation
strategies for Broadband surveys, and general Broadband policies in the
States. It is our hope that others can benefit from this Study and
thereby move closer to the goal of ubiquitous Broadband availability.
Web Links
Last updated:
07/11/2010 |
